The Benedictine baseball team is living up to its championship pedigree, and Wednesday's doubleheader against Cambridge showed exactly why this squad is built for the postseason. Under third-year coach Jason Pascual, the Cadets have stormed into the Class 4A state quarterfinals—their deepest playoff run since reaching the state semifinals in 2022—and they're now just one win away from returning to the Final Four.

Game 1 was a fireworks display at the plate. Senior righty Colvin Proto delivered a complete-game masterpiece, but it was the Cadets' bats that stole the show, launching five home runs to power an explosive victory. The tone was set early: Omari Burse singled to lead off, and Noah Harris immediately followed with a two-run blast over the fence. Catcher Mason Diamond then stepped up and crushed a solo shot, giving Benedictine back-to-back homers before the crowd could even settle in. The power display continued in the bottom of the sixth, when Diamond belted his second homer of the night, and Kai Hernandez-Gambill followed with a solo shot of his own—another set of back-to-back jacks. Ike Ross also added a home run to the highlight reel.

Game 2 was a different kind of battle—a pitcher's duel that showcased the grit of playoff baseball. Mason O'Neil was outstanding on the mound, striking out eight over six innings while allowing just five hits and one earned run. The Cadets built a two-run lead, but Cambridge refused to back down. In the bottom of the sixth, Carson Clark launched a two-run homer to left-center to tie the game. Then, in a dramatic finish, Cambridge scored the walk-off win on a wild pitch from reliever Kai Hernandez-Gambill, bringing Calloway Holmes home for the 3-2 victory.

"I thought it was good baseball," Pascual said. "At the end of the day—this is playoff baseball. We're one of the last eight teams standing, and so are they. Those were well-played, well-pitched games. Colvin gave us a great first game on the mound, and Mason pitched well. Back in January, if you had told us that on May 7th, Benedictine is going to be playing a Game 3 to go to the Final Four and host it, we would all take it."

Now, everything comes down to one game. The deciding Game 3 will be played at Benedictine on Thursday, May 7, at 4:30 p.m., with a spot in the state semifinals on the line. For the Cadets, it's the kind of moment every player dreams of—a winner-take-all showdown on their home field.